How To Build Up Your “Color Confidence Quotient” If your CCQ (Color Confidence Quotient!) is modest but you’d like to boost it by learning more about color placement basics, consider the rules of thumb below, from the color professionals at Sherwin-Williams. However, if you’re sure of your personal style, feel free to break the […]

What lies beneath those upholstered cushions? More than meets the eye! By Lanie Hightower Within every home is an essential furniture focal point — the sofa — that often “anchors” the living space. With endless choices on the market, it’s easy to become overwhelmed while browsing catalogs or walking through showroom floors. Even notable designers […]

By Angela Crissman Gone are the days of creating a “cookie cutter” room with a suite of matching furniture. Instead, many designers are encouraging homeowners to create an eclectic offering that looks as though it has taken years to collect. With that in mind, this year’s most popular furniture trends are about mixing different styles […]

By Elizabeth Anthony IIn 2012, Americans covered lots of floors and walls with tile — 2.19 billion square feet to be precise. Inspiration and influence for tile floors and walls come from everywhere: fashion, upholstery, wallpaper, furniture, media and even electronics. In our homes and offices, where each element must uniquely capture the current style […]

Outstanding Kitchens From The 2013 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show Glass in all its glory—hand-cut, hand-blown and LED-lit — was creatively used by the winning designers in both the Best Kitchen and the Best Bath in the 2013 Design Competition sponsored by the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). The category winners in this annual […]

Embellished and dimensional papers lead the trends for 2013 By Angela Crissman If you are looking for a way to transform your room with something other than a new paint color, consider a wallcovering option that adds architectural style and flair. Decorative wall panels and tiles can be used to create a focal point in […]

By Angela Crissman This month, furniture manufacturers and dealers will converge at High Point Market for the largest furnishings industry trade show in the world. Held two times a year in High Point, N.C., the market is the home industry’s “fashion week” where styles, trends and innovations are showcased. High Point’s campaign for the April […]

By Angela Crissman Gone are the days of creating a “cookie cutter” room with a suite of matching furniture. Instead, many designers are encouraging homeowners to create an eclectic offering that looks as though it has taken years to collect. With that in mind, this year’s most popular furniture trends are about mixing different styles […]

Pantone LLC, the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, announced its Color of the Year for 2013: PANTONE® 17-5641 Emerald, a lively, radiant, lush green. The 2012 Color of the Year, PANTONE 17-1463 Tangerine Tango, a spirited, reddish orange, provided the energy boost we needed to recharge […]

National Designers Discuss Emerging Design Trends By Angela Crissman With rooms in our homes serving multiple functions, especially the family room, designing a space that can function as a place to gather, work and play ranks high on the priority list for many families. Today’s homeowners want a space that is a reflection of their […]

A peek at what’s in store Have you ever looked around your living room or boudoir and wanted to start over from scratch? What if you could decorate from top to bottom in the latest trends from some of the most popular designers and manufacturers? This is the dream of many homeowners, and whether you […]

Affordable options add style and function to any space By Angela Crissman This month, Lifestyles & Homes will take a look at two flooring possibilities that are gaining popularity among consumers as exceptional alternatives to traditional hardwoods. In addition to being durable and easy to maintain, laminate and bamboo flooring options are also affordable and […]

Bathroom winners from the 2012 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show By Sandra Meineke Open plan bathrooms? Concrete inside the house? While our mothers would have shaken their heads at these ideas, today’s generation considers them chicer than chic, often making these trends the focal point of a room or of the house itself. These are […]

Outstanding kitchens from the 2012 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show Shimmering surfaces, shining fixtures, high-sheen finishes and perfectly placed lighting accents are just a few of the trends in modern kitchens that surfaced from the nearly 500 designs submitted to the 2012 National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) Design Competition. Designers from across the United […]

Correctly identifying color undertones can make or break a room By Sandra Meineke “What I find most interesting about color is the very positive effect it has on mood. It can make you feel relaxed, nurtured or whimsical,” says color consultant Kate Smith, owner of Sensational Color and co-author of Color Confidence: Color for Your […]

Design tips and trends will take the fear out of updating your space By Angela Crissman Looking for a way to update the style inside your home and don’t know where to start? Does the thought of choosing a color palette seem overwhelming? Or perhaps you aren’t sure how to create a space that reflects […]

Family and friends can gather around this extended granite island. New decorating trends include the pendant lights and the glass front cabinets, which are standard features in this series of homes. How local builders are accommodating owners’ wishes By Jennifer Miko House hunters are busy searching the Houston area, but what are they really […]

Tips for consumers on trends and those all-important finishing touches By Sandra Meineke For years the biannual High Point Furniture Market in High Point, North Carolina, has been populated primarily by furniture manufacturers and dealers with a few fabric manufacturers and accessory designers thrown in. But with the advent of new consumer needs and new […]

By Sandra Meineke There are no trends in furniture and home décor anymore. Or, everything is a trend, depending on what list, blog or design book you read. Basically, anything goes. Design leaders at High Point Market say home decorating is now far less about specific styles or periods, and more about putting a personal […]